Just a thought...
Today, as I was writing my earlier post, I wanted to put something, you know a link of some kind, at the end so that should someone read the post that isn't a Christian, and wants to become one, they could go there and read a simple Salvation message.
So, I thought, surely I could go to a church website and find something like that, right?
Apparently, that would be a no. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
I went to multiple holiness church websites; yes, they pretty well all had a "What We Believe" page, but not one had a simple message on "How To Get Saved". So, curious, I started looking around... churches, well-known radio preachers, gospel singers...only a very few had something like that.
To be honest, I was somewhat ashamed. For those of us in some type of ministry, this is what we are supposed to be all about!
So, if you look on the left sidebar, under the 'Links' heading, you will find a link titled simply, How To Be Saved. It's not all original content; I found a page that I mostly agreed with somewhere and altered it a bit.
However, it's there. Feel free to take it, copy it, use it on your own website, church website, etc.
Let's put the Gospel message out there where someone who needs it can find it!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
On Cause & Effect
This week is 40th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the US. Everywhere you look, there are pictures like this one:
Ok, I'll go along with that. He's right. It IS her body...and she does have a choice.
If you are reading this and you are thinking of having an abortion, PLEASE, I beg of you, DON'T DO IT!!! You have other options. There are people that will help you. Contact your local Crisis Pregnancy Center, or if you don't know how to do that, get in touch with me, and I will do everything within my power to help you. You don't have to take your baby's life! It may seem hopeless, too much, you don't feel you can handle it, but YOU CAN DO THIS! Choose LIFE!
If, by some chance, you are reading this and you already had an abortion, you may be dealing with guilt and depression. Shockingly, statistics say that 1 out of every 2.5 women under the age of 45 have had an abortion at some time in their lives - You're not alone! You can't go back and undo what is done; your baby is gone forever. But there are people who will help you! Here, and here, and here.
Best of all, you can be forgiven! It won't bring your baby back, but it will sure help with the pain and guilt you are feeling! The Bible tells us, in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins...". That means YOU! No matter what you have done, it CAN be forgiven! All you have to do is ask! If you would like to know more about being having your sins forgiven, visit the How To Be Saved Link on the sidebar, or click here.
Don't get me wrong, I agree 100%. So far, though, I've kept my mouth shut...it wouldn't do me much good to share all kinds of stuff like that on my Facebook wall - as far as I know, most, if not all of my FB friends feel the same way as I about abortion. But then I read THIS article....and to be quite honest, it made me mad.
A bill allowing late term abortions as part of a "plan to advance "women's equality." " ?????
Do what?
Can someone please explain to me how that makes a woman more 'equal'?
"the bill includes language to establish a "fundamental right" of women to determine the course of pregnancy, "which includes the right to carry a pregnancy to term or to terminate a pregnancy"......"women should be able to make their own choices about their bodies and their health care." ...."
""Protect a woman's freedom of choice. Enact a Reproductive Health Act, because it is her body, it is her choice." "
Ok, I'll go along with that. He's right. It IS her body...and she does have a choice.
(Some of you are probably about ready to write me off here, but hear me out - I'm not done!)
As a matter of fact, I am Pro-Choice.
Every woman has a choice. Lots of choices, actually.
But that list of choices does NOT include the right to kill another human being!!!
I realize I'm mostly preaching to the choir here, but let me give a little lesson on something called
"Cause & Effect"
The law of "Cause & Effect" says basically this:
"an action or event will produce a certain response to the action in the form of another event"
or,
"Causality [Cause & Effect] is the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first."
Got that?
Ok, so every action I take will have a re-action...if I feel that the re-action [the consequence of the action] is worth the risk, i.e. I'm willing to accept and/or live with those consequences, I go ahead and perform the action.
That is the power to choose.
Most women of child-bearing age know what causes pregnancy. (I said MOST. I am aware that there are some who possibly might not, and that there are some women whose bodies are capable of bearing a child, while they do not possess the mental capacity to make an informed decision. This is not what we are referring to here). For the most part, we [women] are taught at a fairly young age that physical intimacy with a member of the opposite sex can (and most likely will, unless proper precautions are taken) cause pregnancy.
So, somewhere along the way a young (or otherwise) woman meets up with a young man. They fall in love. (or not). He gives her the old "If you really loved me, you'd sleep with me" line (which, incidentally, is NOT true...). She realizes (as noted above) that one of the possible side effects of that physical intimacy is, in fact, pregnancy. However, she CHOOSES to go ahead - to her the benefits outweigh the risks.
This behavior continues for sometime. They may or may not choose to use contraceptives, but no contraceptive is fool-proof - or 100% effective - and one day she discovers that she has, indeed, become pregnant.
At this point, our current liberal society wishes to step in and start hollering,
"She didn't CHOOSE to become pregnant! It's her body! She should have the right to choose whether she wants to have that baby!"
Sorry, folks. As a matter of fact, she DID have that right. She had the right to choose her actions, and she chose, knowing that her actions could lead to pregnancy.
What she does NOT have is the right to take the life of another person because she made bad choices.
What she DOES HAVE is the choice whether or not to keep the child and raise it herself, or give him or her up for adoption - so that someone who DOES want a baby, and IS responsible enough to take care of a child can raise her child for her.
Unfortunately, in our society today, it seems that parents have failed to teach their children one of the basic rules of life - that there are RULES, and failure to comply with them with bring about unwanted consequences; and, if you deliberately choose to break the rules, you deal with those consequences! So now, we have a country full of people, that, instead of facing their problems, admitting that they did wrong, and taking the consequences for their actions, they want someone else to deal with it so they can get on with their lives.
I have news for you, people:
Life just doesn't work that way!
The Bible says it this way: "...be sure your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23
Eventually, though it may not be on earth, you WILL face the consequences for your actions. Someday, we will all pay for our sins unless they've been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. We cannot hope to run forever and get by.
How did I get from abortion to sin?
Because they are one and the same.
We know that murder is wrong. The Bible tells us very plainly that "THOU SHALT NOT KILL". The laws of our land tell us that if you kill another human being, it is a crime, and criminals are punished.
Yet, it's legal (by the laws of the land) to kill a human being while he/she is still in the womb, just because they had the misfortune of being your 'unwanted' child?
Since when is it right for another person to suffer for the bad choices that I have made?
If I choose to go bungee jumping and I am injured, do I have to right to punish you because you didn't stop me - even though I knew the possible dangers before I made my choice?
The answer is a resounding NO.
The same concept applies here.
Like I said, I am pro-choice.
However, my power (and yours) to CHOOSE ends when affects the life of another person - Especially when that person is helpless to defend themselves.
If, by some chance, you are reading this and you already had an abortion, you may be dealing with guilt and depression. Shockingly, statistics say that 1 out of every 2.5 women under the age of 45 have had an abortion at some time in their lives - You're not alone! You can't go back and undo what is done; your baby is gone forever. But there are people who will help you! Here, and here, and here.
Best of all, you can be forgiven! It won't bring your baby back, but it will sure help with the pain and guilt you are feeling! The Bible tells us, in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he [Jesus] is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins...". That means YOU! No matter what you have done, it CAN be forgiven! All you have to do is ask! If you would like to know more about being having your sins forgiven, visit the How To Be Saved Link on the sidebar, or click here.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Guest Post: Should We Continue in Sin?
Well, ya'll, it's your lucky day! Today we have our first guest post!
My husband (the Brad in the 'Brad & Gillian), is taking a class on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and as a project he wrote this little article. So, without further ado:
Paul begins the sixth chapter of Roman with a question: “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1, KJV) Obviously Paul must have been having trouble with “sinning Christians” or he would not have felt compelled to write about the subject, but what is he really saying?
Some felt that the abundance of grace was a license to go on sinning; after all there was plenty of grace to go around. But Paul immediately rejects this idea in the next verse with a resounding “God forbid.” He states, ‘how can someone who is dead to sin go on living in sin?' To continue in sin would actually contradict the very purpose of grace; Paul’s was telling us grace is so much greater than any sin that we might commit, not that it just keeps covering as we keep sinning. Those who are in Christ are dead to sin - just as He died once for all to cover our sin, we die to sin and it no longer reigns in our lives. To suggest that a Christian could go on sinning is inconsistent with Christ’s nature and thus inconsistent with the nature of those who are in Him. Christ came to forgive and remove sin from our lives so that we might live in victory. Paul is not suggesting, as some might, the literal impossibility of sin, but the moral inconsistency of it - is it not a contradiction to say that we died to sin and yet continue to live in sin?
A Christian is not only dead to sin but alive in Christ Jesus, just as He is now alive. We walk in a new life, free from the bonds of sin and death because the payment for our sin was paid on Calvary. So if Jesus died for our sin, and we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ, how can we let sin reign? It is a total contradiction! Paul goes on later to tell us “do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12), and, “let us put aside the deeds of darkness” (Romans 13:12, NIV), and such statements as these. He is showing us that while we will be affected by temptations we do not have to let it reign or take over in our lives. Why would Paul put all of this down and spend so much time explaining it if it is not possible to live without sin? But, some would cite the Scripture that says if you say you are without sin you are a deceived (1 John 1:8, KJV); it’s true the Bible does say that all have sinned, but it is talking about the nature of sin we are born with and how that no man or woman that is born has (past tense) not committed sin. This is not saying that we should live in sin. Again, how could Paul say he is dead to sin if it was impossible? Since we know the Bible is truth and cannot lie, we must look at the whole picture: if Paul and others say we can live “dead to sin,” then the meaning in the verses just mentioned must be simply that all have sinned, but that all do not have to continue to sin. Of what use is the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus to us if it does not get rid of sin? That is why He came - to free us from sin - and if we are truly dead to sin and free in Christ then we should live and act like it. Let the grace of God remove the sin from your life and then through His grace you can continue to live “dead to sin”.
It’s in the Bible - why would God have Paul write it down if it was an impossibility for us? Think about it!
My husband (the Brad in the 'Brad & Gillian), is taking a class on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and as a project he wrote this little article. So, without further ado:
Should We Continue in Sin?
Paul begins the sixth chapter of Roman with a question: “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1, KJV) Obviously Paul must have been having trouble with “sinning Christians” or he would not have felt compelled to write about the subject, but what is he really saying?
Some felt that the abundance of grace was a license to go on sinning; after all there was plenty of grace to go around. But Paul immediately rejects this idea in the next verse with a resounding “God forbid.” He states, ‘how can someone who is dead to sin go on living in sin?' To continue in sin would actually contradict the very purpose of grace; Paul’s was telling us grace is so much greater than any sin that we might commit, not that it just keeps covering as we keep sinning. Those who are in Christ are dead to sin - just as He died once for all to cover our sin, we die to sin and it no longer reigns in our lives. To suggest that a Christian could go on sinning is inconsistent with Christ’s nature and thus inconsistent with the nature of those who are in Him. Christ came to forgive and remove sin from our lives so that we might live in victory. Paul is not suggesting, as some might, the literal impossibility of sin, but the moral inconsistency of it - is it not a contradiction to say that we died to sin and yet continue to live in sin?
A Christian is not only dead to sin but alive in Christ Jesus, just as He is now alive. We walk in a new life, free from the bonds of sin and death because the payment for our sin was paid on Calvary. So if Jesus died for our sin, and we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ, how can we let sin reign? It is a total contradiction! Paul goes on later to tell us “do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12), and, “let us put aside the deeds of darkness” (Romans 13:12, NIV), and such statements as these. He is showing us that while we will be affected by temptations we do not have to let it reign or take over in our lives. Why would Paul put all of this down and spend so much time explaining it if it is not possible to live without sin? But, some would cite the Scripture that says if you say you are without sin you are a deceived (1 John 1:8, KJV); it’s true the Bible does say that all have sinned, but it is talking about the nature of sin we are born with and how that no man or woman that is born has (past tense) not committed sin. This is not saying that we should live in sin. Again, how could Paul say he is dead to sin if it was impossible? Since we know the Bible is truth and cannot lie, we must look at the whole picture: if Paul and others say we can live “dead to sin,” then the meaning in the verses just mentioned must be simply that all have sinned, but that all do not have to continue to sin. Of what use is the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus to us if it does not get rid of sin? That is why He came - to free us from sin - and if we are truly dead to sin and free in Christ then we should live and act like it. Let the grace of God remove the sin from your life and then through His grace you can continue to live “dead to sin”.
It’s in the Bible - why would God have Paul write it down if it was an impossibility for us? Think about it!
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